Nearly 90% Of Vegans Changed Their Diet For Animal Welfare, Global Survey Finds

A new global survey involving more than 8,500 participants across over 100 countries reveals that animal welfare is the top reason motivating people to go vegan. While nearly 90% of respondents cited animal welfare, more people are now also going vegan due to sustainability reasons, as consumers begin to couple their diet to their environmental impact. 

The global survey, conducted by leading plant-based dating app Veggly, explores the top motivators for people to switch to a vegan diet. Of the over 8,500 vegans from across 104 countries were polled in the research through the Veggly mobile app platform, around 9 in 10 (89%) said animal welfare was their “key reason” for cutting all animal products from their diet.

Veggly told Green Queen Media that the most significant demographic trend they found was that women were 5.43% more likely to opt for animal welfare as their primary reason to go vegan compared to men.

Commenting on the finding, Alex Felipelli, founder of Veggly, said: “There are many excellent reasons to go vegan, so we have found it fascinating to see which motivations are the most popular. We are very pleased to see animal welfare is number one as veganism ultimately gives a voice to the voiceless.” 

Environmental and climate change reasons came in second, with almost two thirds of vegans (64%) saying that sustainability was their motivating factor. Analysts believe that this figure is likely to continue growing amid the growing focus on the connection between the impact of animal agriculture on the planet, especially in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. 

We are very pleased to see animal welfare is number one as veganism ultimately gives a voice to the voiceless.

Alex Felipelli, Founder, Veggly

Health was also rising in popularity as a reason to go vegan, with over half (53%) citing nutrition, immunity and other health factors for why they chose to ditch meat and dairy. The researchers also believe that health will majorly push more people to adopt veganism in the future, given the strong scientific data demonstrating the negative health outcomes associated with meat intake, and conversely, the positive impacts linked to plant-based whole food diets. 

“At the same time, we can see both environmental and health reasons are strong factors as well. A vegan diet is clearly the best thing for the planet and your health, so it’s no surprise they are also popular reasons,” said Felipelli. 

Other reasons why people went vegan include food conservation and the cost savings associated with a plant-based diet, though these trailed far behind the top three reasons, with just approximately 16% and 6% of respondents citing these factors respectively. 

The results are mirrored by a Hong Kong-based poll conducted by Green Queen Media, which found that the top motivator for people to make a shift away from meat and dairy was animal welfare and ethics, with 44% of the flexitarians, vegetarians and vegans surveyed citing it as their primary reason. 

At the same time, we can see both environmental and health reasons are strong factors as well. A vegan diet is clearly the best thing for the planet and your health.

Alex Felipelli, Founder, Veggly

Sustainability-related concerns were the second most important factor, with nearly a quarter (24%) saying they are making dietary changes for the environment, closely followed by health and nutrition (23%). 

While veganism is steadily growing in popularity, the city’s plant-based demand seems to be most driven by flexitarianism, which is taking off amongst the mainstream population. Previous survey findings that showed almost a quarter of all Hong Kong residents, though not making the full switch to veganism, are now actively looking to reduce their meat intake ever since the pandemic struck.

In Europe, research has also shown that the strongest growth has been recorded amongst flexitarians, with more than 20% of people in the region self-identifying in the category, while the number of vegans have doubled.  

Lead image courtesy of Natucate.